Holder for sheets, books, and the like



Oct. 9, 1951 J. FORCA HOLDER FOR-SHEETS, Books AND THE LIKE} A m m0 WP Mm ATTO R N EY Patented Oct. 9, 1951 HOLDER FOR SHEETS, BOOKS, AND THE LIKE James Forca, Brooklyn, N. Y.

Application November 28, 1947, Serial No. 788,707 1 Claim. (01. 45 61) The present invention relates to holders for sheets and books and the like, of the general type disclosed in my prior Patent No. 2,301,692 of November 10, 1942. w

The general object of the present invention is to provide an improved holder of the above mentioned type, and especially adapted for use by typists and others having need to inspect sheets, books or other documents without holding them in their hands.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide a holding device of the general type disclosed in my prior patent, but less expensive to construct, and which is characterized by its mechanical simplicity. A still more specific object of the present invention is to provide a holding device of the type specified, having improved means including a plurality of readily adjustable book page or sheet engaging elements each weighted for maintenance in a page or sheet holding position by gravity. Another specific object of the invention is to provide a normally self-supporting holding device, comprising connected portions which can be folded or collapsed to facilitate the storage or transportation of the device.

The various features of novelty which characterize my invention are pointed out with particularity in the claim annexed to and forming a part of the specification. For a better understanding of the invention, however, its advantages, and specific objects attained with its use, reference should be had to the accompanying drawing and descriptive matter in which I have illustrated and described a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Of the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved holding device;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section on the broken line 22 of Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a partial section taken on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 with supporting portions of the device shown in their folded or collapsed positions.

As shown in the drawings, my improved holding device comprises a document supporting wall or part A which is normally held in the inclined position shown in Fig; 2 by uprising base or le parts B. Ordinarily, and as shown, there are two base or leg parts B, one adjacent each end of the supporting member A. The member A has arelatively narrow, horizontally elongated, forwardly projecting shelf or ledge portion 0 se- 2 cured to its lower edge. While the parts A, B and C may each be made of any readily available and suitable materials, they are shaped and proportioned so that the part A may advantageously be made of plywood, and the parts B and C may be made of unlaminated wood.

As shown, each leg or base portion B has a horizontally elongated lower edge B adapted to engage and rest upon a horizontal table top or other supporting surface, and has a substantially vertical rear edge, and has an inclined front edge which abuts against the rear side of the member A in the normal operative condition of the device, and has an upper edge B The latter is shorter than the lower edge B and as shown is perpendicular to the member A. Each base portion B is connected by upper and lower hinges D to the member A so that each part B may be folded alongside the member A in a collapsed condition of the device, as shown in Fig. 3, to reduce the bulk of the device as is desirable when the device is stored or being transported.

Lug or bracket parts E, which may be made of wood, are secured to and extend away from the rear side of the member A adjacent its upper corners. E are so shaped and disposed that the lower edge of each lug is in abutting relation with, and may Well be in frictional engagement with the upper edge B of the corresponding leg or base part B when the device is in its normal operative position as illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2.

' A rod F extends between, and. has its ends supported by the bracket parts E. The rod F supports a pluralityof sheets or page holding elements G. As shown, there are two holding elemerits G, each journalled on the rod F to turn into and out of the position in which it is shown in the drawings, to respectively engage and disengage the adjacent portion of a paper sheet, the open page of a book, or other document. The elements G are thus adapted to hold such sheet, book or document against the wall A, with the sheet or page engaged substantially parallel to said wall. Normally the lower edge of the sheet, book or document so engaged will engage, and be held against down movement by the shelf C. In a preferred form of the invention, the rod F and arms G are made of plastic material such as the material known as Lucite which becomes flexible and may be readily bent when heated to a temperature a few hundred degrees above atmospheric temperature. When made of such plastic Advantageously and as shown, the lugs wall A at a steep angle of 60 or so. The free end portion of each arm G is advantageously of reduced cross-section, and carries an enlarged end member.

Each end member H may well be of globular form and is made of relatively heavy material, ordinarily metal, and is formed with a cavity to receive the free end of the corresponding arm G. The free end of each arm G may be cemented in place in the said cavity in the corresponding member H, or may be secured in place therein in any'other suitable manner, In the preferred form shown in section in Fig. 2, the cavity in each end member 'H is internally threaded and isproportioned relative to the free end of the corresponding arm G for threaded engagement with the'latt'er. To provide such a threaded connection, it is not necessary to first form a thread on the arm, since with the" cross-section of the free'end of the arm suitably proportioned to the cavity, a thread will b'ej'cut in the arm, when formed of Lueite' or analogous" material, by the end member as the latter is rotated about the' portion of the arm extending into the cavity in said member.

The rod F may have its ends' permanently secured to the bracket parts E, but it is ordinarily desirableto" removably' connect the rod F to the parts E. g In the 'simple'desirable form illustrated in- Fig. 3, the bracket parts E are formed with aligned sockets E having juxtaposed open ends: At leastone ofsaid sockets contains a helical spring I; and the-parts are so relatively proportioned that in the assembled conditionof the apparatus, each spring I is engaged and-compressed .by the corresponding end of the rod F. As shown in Fig.. 3., the length of the rod F issuflicientlygreater than the distance between the adjacentsides of the members E .so that when the rod is longitudinally V displaced in either direction against the resistance of the spring I engaging one end of the rod and thereby compressed, the opposite end of the rod may be removed from the socket E in the corresponding bracket EL As will be apparent, "theholdirig' device shown and described is mechanically simple and can" be made without the use or special tools from readily available and relatively inexpensive" materials. With the inclined supporting wall part --A made of wonder "plywood'andthe legs-B made of one-or-theother of those materials,-the* The arms G curved and mounted on the rod F as described, and having globular end members H, as described, may be readily adjusted along the rod as conditions make desirable. The body portions of the arms may be formed of light Weight material, so that the overall weight of each arm is desirably small, while at the same time the weight of each metallic end member B. may be ample to provide an adequate contact pressure between it and the sheet, book section or other element supported by the parts A and C. The supporting means for the rod F permit the ready removal of the latter, when the latter is to be stored or packed for transportation, and also permits the number of the arms supported by the rod F to be readily varied when this becomes desirable. As will be apparent, the spring I may be omitted from one socket E and the length of the latter may be correspondingly removed.

While in accordance with the provisions of the statutes, I have illustrated and described the best form of embodiment of my invention now known to me, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that changes may be made in the form oi the" apparatus disclosed without departing from the spirit of my invention; as set forth in the appended "claim," and that in some cases certain features of my invention may be used to advantage without a corresponding use of other features. 7

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

a holder for sheets, books and analogous articleshaving .a .rearwardly inclined supporting wall, a horizontal .rod adjacent and extending along the top of said wall at the rear side of the latter and rod supporting means connecting the 0 ends of said rod to said'wall, the improvement legs-B may-be connected-to the wa-ll'Aby means- 7 away from said. wall.v

comprising; two -arms each formed of relatively htwei ht m ier la e sayi a u u ar bearing portion at one end loosely surrounding said rod and independently adjustable longitudinally of and angularly about said rod, and having a body portion kteiifiihg" away from Sal id bari ng portion in a direction transverse to the axis of theilatter and "having an end member" attached to'the"fr'ee end or" said armand formedof relativelyheavy material,"sai'clarm'being curved and elongated-"so that said end member may engagethe front side or said-wall at a level below the level at said rod with the major portion of said curved in front of said Wall and concave toward the latter and with the free end portion of :said arinextending away from said Wall at a steep angle, and being gravitationally biased by said end member against turning movement JAMES FORCA.

REFERENCES siren V .'I.he jollowing references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name" Date "51 9;840 EdSal1' L;; May 15, 1894 13181 193 Bullock Jul v, 1931 15972214 Bergman Sept. 4, 1934' 2,-1'36';70=1= Manierre Nov. 15, 1938 1219,09 1 Henderson Oct. 22, 1940 2,244,713 "Hawk June -10, 1941 2,301,692 

